Fox on the Run
by HeartGold12
Summary: The village terrorized by a frightening demon is at the brink of extinction. A girl gifted in the spiritual contact puts her life on the line in the local shrine, and is rewarded by a very special and a very tricky 'master'. Survival and trust issues ahoy! Lemon in later chapters! GALE, Feudal Japan, rated M.
1. Cotton Greenhouse

_~Prologue~_

There was a quiet village amidst the tall, foggy mountains of Japan. Black clouds hung over the heads of the tired villagers as they worked from dawn to nightfall to bring the best out of the muddy rice fields around their village – men, women, and children alike, all filthy and bent over from fatigue. Nobody smiled, nobody talked – the only sounds piercing the silence were footsteps squelching in the water and an occasional cough.

Driving them was hunger, keeping them was fear.

A gust of wind rose harshly and suddenly, kicking up clouds of dirt and disturbing the water - making the masses stop and look up at the black sky in apprehension. When it faded, they hastily returned to their current activities, hands shaking and ears keen for danger.

Suddenly, a gale so harsh it knocked the smaller children over descended onto the poor villagers, and as they threw everything away and begun to scamper in a massive panic, a great shadow fell atop some of them.

Screams of the dying echoed on the empty field as helpless, captured people were devoured by the quadruped beast. The snake forming its tail hissed as it surveyed the land in search for more prey, and the powerful chimera growled in agitation as it found none, sipping hungrily on the medulla from the bones as if it were the best sake.

Deep in the forests leading to their home village, the men were still in a running frenzy, crying and lamenting for their lost family and neighbors. A small boy was still searching for his deceased father amidst the crowd, and he cried out as one of his uncles picked him up mid-step and threw over his shoulder, shouting to hang on. Soon, they passed the old and weary gates to the village, and fell togetherinto a distressed heap, one on top of the other. Frantic calls for the family were heard – some went unanswered.

The small crowd stayed in the cold until they caught their breaths, and even then, they remained mostly motionless, hopeless and scared. Eventually, they started leaving for their homes in twos or threes, clutching one another for support as exhaustion seeped in.

Only the little boy who lost his father remained where he was.

Sniffling and trying to wipe the snot and tears off his face, the child waited in the evening, just as patiently as he worked every single day on the fields. Small lights were lit in the houses around, and whispers of prayers for the lost echoed about.

A lone figure stepped silently into the boundaries of the village, looking much like a lone villager returning home in the evening. However, as it came closer, a slender figure of an adolescent lady could be seen. Her hair was the most lovely cornflower blue, and her eyes were misty as she crouched and let the son of the blacksmith exclaim in surprise and throw himself at her in a hug.

"_Levy-chaaan!"_

The girl said nothing and held the boy tightly, sighing softly as he once again dissolved into tears, unable to reassure him or help him with his sorrow.

The day has marked the eightieth attack.

This place used to be so happy.

* * *

**This chapter is short, but the next ones will be longer and some questions will be answered! Honestly, the idea for a fic was too tempting to abandon. It's placed in feudal Japan so I'm really, really scared I have not done enough research to write it, but I think I'll manage!**

**At the extreme, it should be probably less than twenty chapters, so don't fear another giant lug I'll be struggling with :)**

**Also, I think I should probably get a beta reader because the mistakes make me boil with annoyance. Anyone know where I could possibly get one? :/**

_~HeartGold12_


	2. The Habit breaks

**Next chapter here!**

* * *

For as long as she knew, Levy could see ghosts.

It wasn't surprising, really. Since the day she was born, her hair made her stand out from everyone, including her own family. Where children had it straight and black – Levy's was shaped and colored with the likeness of a sapphire sea. It was like a mark billowing in the wind – this little girl was a freak.

Looking over her shoulder, she sighed at the apparition already standing right behind her back, hiding within the fog. A hand reached out next to her face and caressed the boy's head, and she turned away from it, giving the deceased man some privacy.

"_I have to go now,_" The blacksmith murmured then, voice carried over by the wind and tickling her ears.

"I know."

"_Tell Daisuke that the forge is his by my word. I wish for him to learn from Hisao and be the new blacksmith when he matures._"

Levy nodded and the arm retreated back into the dark.

"_I am incredibly proud of him."_

The ghost did not speak of anything else, and it meant his business in the world of the living was done. With a bit of patience, she could see a faint outline, like a shadow, pass slowly through the gates and accompany the imps harvesting souls and sending them to the afterlife.

* * *

After carrying the boy home and leaving him underneath the protection of his second uncle, she left the village and went through the ancient forest, far and up to the base of the nearest mountain, to the shrine that worked as her home and place of work since Levy came here for the first time.

She wasn't sure how long has she walked, but then again, every time the question came into her mind, it turned out that it was just about _enough_. The same thing happened tonight – when her eyes focused more keenly on the road, without missing a beat she spotted the row of vermilion torii standing in the distance, two stone foxes guarding them with their presence. The male held a carved key within its mouth, with his female companion holding down a jewel with her paw. Both wore the scarlet votive bibs that she had made and put on their necks.

She was no miko, but working as a keeper of the shrine and aiding, perhaps, the only people in the world who ever treated her without revulsion, was a good thing to do - and she enjoyed it. Slowing down into a stroll, the bluenette looked with adoration into the eyes of the sculptures, before passing underneath the tunnel of gates, and breathed out softly as she felt the protection of the building ahead envelop her spirit and give her physical strength.

It was relatively tiny – the layout consisting only of two small buildings, the one on the right working as a storage and her shelter and the other in front of her as the actual temple. A large mound of mossy ground was raising from the ground to the left, where sat her rocky consorts.

It couldn't possibly compare to the wonders of the Kyoto's Fushimi-ku, a construction so grand it could compare to a small palace. But it was also made from scratch by the hard work and will of the villagers and they cherished it.

Stopping before the Shōji of the shack, Levy sighed and stretched, before falling into a trance of routine. Inside the cluttered space, filled to the brim with boxes and cabinets of different sizes - with all the horizontal surface occupied by tools, decorations, oddments and trinkets - normal people would have to navigate on their tiptoes not to knock over a row of bottles or trip and fall on their faces, but she had done it without a problem.

Now. Fishing out a cleverly hidden pot of rice and regarding it with narrowed eyes, she tipped it above a ceramic bowl and letting a small yet reasonable amount spill inside. Setting it up along a small tray of tofu on the counter, the girl bent down above the space usually occupied by her futon and removed a plank from the floor, revealing a small burrow in the ground. Submerging her hand up to her shoulder in the hole, she fished out few thin candles.

Loosening and stripping out of her clothes, Levy dove into a chest In the far corner, carefully pulling out an expertly folded kimono. The primary color on it was vermilion, a color associated with Inari, the goddess she served.

She released the second sigh of the night.

Lacking the knowledge of anything else related to the clothing made a string of self awareness hit an itching spot somewhere in her chest. It was definitely more difficult to put on then her normal, grey attire, but she had no idea if it made it any more formal. She sincerely hoped it was.

The next half of an hour was spent on the steps of the shrine among alit candles and tranquil silence of a forest devoid of any living fauna.

Kneeling respectfully, she prayed to Inari to break the demon's siege and make rice grow splendidly on the fields they sacrificed their lives to protect, picking out individual wishes she received troghout the day. The food was arranged onto it's position, the candles set around and the old formulas drilled into her head to the point where Levy doubted she wouldn't remember them in the afterlife.

The ritual was the same as yesterday, and two days ago, and three days ago, and she doubted it wouldn't remain this way until she was old and grey haired. The only difference was the decreasing amount of rice she was able to offer to the deity and, quite morbidly, the number of villagers who lived to work on the rice fields. Nothing changed, except for the passing time. It made her unusually peaceful in those hard times, at least until her knees begun to protest at the prolonged contact with the stone steps.

Later, Levy got up on shaky legs, stiff and cold, and slowly massaged her joints back into wakefulness. Bowing down hard and leaving for her hut, she pulled her futon out from one of the boxes, unrolled it on the prepared space and fell on top in a tired heap, quickly rolling onto her back and making herself comfortable, leisurely pulling her robes off.

Much to her later displeasure, the only things that awaited her were nightmares, nightmares about the vermilion kimono suddenly tightening around and burning her, like it was bathed in poison. Her voice was coming out muffled, like that of an elderly lady, and the material tortured her until it became her own skin.

She was left gray haired, wrinkled, and shivering at the steps of the shrine, and a voice sounding suspiciously like one of her own sisters laughed with the likeness of a spoiled pig, squealing that she shouldn't have worn clothes for old hags.

* * *

The next day was marked by checking and re-checking the weaker spiritual barriers on the gates and houses of the village, readying all of them for the possibility of a sudden attack. The chimera spend those precious hours in the sky, digesting the unlucky souls it has captured, and every capable person except for her was working to the brink of bodily capabilities in the fields.

Over the year of the siege the black sky held on them, only during such occasions any actual progress on raising up any sort of yields was made. Well, she tried to help too, through hours of cleaning and repairing damage and spending entire nights in a kneeling position at the tiny temple. Though, in comparison to the sprains, soreness and fear the others had to overcome, her efforts seemed rather puny.

When the thirty or so people finally returned, swaying dangerously on their feet and shivering from exertion, she had a large pot of soup made for them to limp toward, patiently waiting all day for this moment on an empty stomach. The soup was very sparse – but filling up their stomachs was a blessing, and the good mood bloomed slowly amidst the crowd. For one evening, everything was back to the good, old times, albeit with cursing the chimera, thinking of a working defense strategies and wishing each other good luck.

Levy found herself smiling throughout her journey home – the usual night chores went by smoother than usual, and she spilled a generous handful of rice into the bowl, hoping for the best. For above a half of the night her forehead was plastered to the stone steps in light prayers, and she undressed slowly and laid properly in her bed, eyes closed and a small smile on her face.

She dreamed of the rice overgrowing and pouncing onto the villagers in a frenzy, ripping them apart with thorny teeth, cutting vines and splashing acid.

* * *

There is always, though, the moment when reality crushes all of the daydreams.

The moment came upon the bluenette during the morning bath, standing in the middle of the shallow river and shaking sprays of droplets out of her hair. Her mood was a fairly good one. In fact, Levy was ready to face the day, head on.

Yet.

The sunrays that suddenly reflected off the water surface were a physical slap to the face. Covering her eyes with a yelp, blinded for a few precious seconds, dread rose within her as she felt her way out of the water as fast as she could. Fearing that something wretched was starting to happen in the very moment passing by, grasping her kimono and yanking it roughly off the ground, Levy wrapped it around herself mid-step, like a towel, and raced towards the temple – heart tightening in her chest at the thoughts of the slaughter taking place on the rice fields.

Knees covered in bruises that swelled quickly, arms scratched from the branches, she collapsed on her face at in front of the temple, almost failing to climb up on the rocks behind her shack and reaching the roof. Peeking over the treetops further away, growing near the first torii, the keeper managed to catch a glimpse of the dead rice fields and her heart practically stopped.

It was there. The monster was there, a dark shadow swiping it's beastly claws around as humans she couldn't see ran away in a frenzy, some of them wounded, some of them piled up on the ground as still corpses.

A zephyr reached the shrine then – so powerful that it almost knocked her off the roof. Levy screamed, hanging on for her dear life, and when it subsided, she climbed down and collapsed weakly onto the ground.

"_Help them!"_ she screamed into the absolute silence that settled around her, suffocating her. She had no idea who she was referring to or if they even heard her. _"Please, just help them! Make it stop!"_

It was useless.

She was tired of being unable to do anything.

Her shaky hands twisted into the material around her frame, then unwound it and put it on correctly so she wouldn't have to occupy her hands. Getting up and breaking into another sprint without a second glance, she headed in the opposite direction of where she came from.

It was enough. Enough hunger, enough fear, and _definitely_ enough death.

The fifteen villagers whose turn to work was tomorrow mirrored her frightened expression, though there were shouts of surprise when she arrived. Exclamations for water could be heard – Levy dashed for the well and was astonished to spot Daisuke spinning the crank all by himself and with obvious effort. Quickly tucking the sleeves of her kimono up all the way over her elbows and standing behind the toddler, she grasped the wooden ends unoccupied by his little hands, and pushed along with him. Five buckets were filled before they both heard shouts from the gates demanding their immediate assistance and she made sure the boy wouldn't get hit by the lever before taking one heavy bucket in each hand and jogging towards the crowd. Her body was sweaty from exertion and her fingers hurt, but when she heard names being screamed in fear she quickened her pace.

Two man laid on the ground, covered In blood. Both men Levy knew really well – one of them was the oldest person in the village, and the other was their cook. Bleeding gashes littered their bodies – frightening wounds inflicted by the chimera.

An old, wrinkled lady knelt beside them and she did the same – with twice the number of hands they washed the sweat and dirt off right there, before the healer begun organizing an operation, calling out for dressings, needles and a fire.

They worked amidst distress, the primary questions running around voicing a single fear - that out of all the workers, only those two survived.

However, it wasn't true, because the elder had not survived his operation, either.

Staring at his ashen face a few impossibly long hours later, body laying in the futon he used to own in the bedroom of his house and feeling the hand resting on her shoulder heavily as the spirits all stared along with her - for the first time, she felt utterly hopeless. There was nothing she could do to prevent the monster from killing them. Defending was impossible. Praying never worked.

"_Did it?_" a woman's voice echoed in her ear, then, sounding like she was privy to something the mortals couldn't possibly know.

_"We all know that ghosts exist, and so do the demons. Why doubt the gods?"_

They vanished later, one by one – soundlessly ceasing to exist behind her as she continued staring on, face unreadable.

The walk home was mechanic and somehow empty, and the only thing Levy dreamed of was her shadow, glaring at her from below.

* * *

***Le gasp* I finished. God, it was hard. I hope it's not too cliché either – I wanted to show that Levy cared for those people and her job for reasons yet unknown. Thankfully Gajeel comes up next chapter, so the story should get more… More 'me' feels! And stop being so Mary-Sue, too.**

**Nobody except for Daisuke and the unknown Hisao have names. Why? Well, I placed it in an AU, but I want to keep the number of OC's to a strict minimum. So, we have like one. And besides Gajeel, Lily, Levy – and Mira I think for a moment – there won't be any characters either.**

**Now. There are some terms I would like to introduce:**

**Inari – Goddes of Rice and yields, depicted as a woman, fox, or even a dragon. The Kitsune are her messangers.**

**Torii – A red gate leading to Japanese shrines.**

**Shōji – Door made out of paper and bamboo.**

**I think that's all.  
**

**I'm also wondering if I should make it (finally) into a lemon. What do you think?**

**If something was terribly inaccurate Feudal-Japan wise, please tell me, and I will try to rearrange it.**

_~HeartGold12_


	3. As haughty as a fox

_~Day one~_

In the evening of the next day, still so heavy with death that she alternatively cried while curled up into a fetal position and additionally while _not_, her decision had been made.

"_We all know that ghosts exist, and so do the demons. Why doubt the gods?"_

Her only encouragement was the fact a dead person told it to her, a dead person possibly created by some sort of dementia she underwent throughout all of her life. She could have been in a different place altogether anyway, all of the world around her just an infinite, brutal nightmare.

But if it was all a dream, she might have just found the _perfect_ moment to start controlling it.

The moment sun must had likely begun setting, and the dark clouds tinted with crimson, she resolutely tipped the jar with rice bottom-up, stacked the tofu cubes one atop another in a pyramid-like construct, and spend ten minutes straight just lighting up all of the candles she could dispose of, making the shrine clearly visible from the distance of the eighth torii, as she later checked herself. The fox statues stared at her with something akin to lazy curiosity as she finally knelt at the steps of the shrine, but instead of feverish prayers, a clear voice rang out for them to hear.

"Inari_-sama,_" Levy spoke with power, though she felt her entire being striving to furl back onto itself at the brutal forwardness. "I am so sorry, but I can't wait anymore. We have _nothing_ to lose now. The lives of our sixteen measly selves are nothing compared to the mass _it_ murdered and devoured. Our rice has almost never grew, and now, with such limited amount of working hands, it definitely won't. I prayed _every_ _day_. I don't know what have I done wrong; if it's my clothing, I'll just do it _naked_. Just _help_ us. Fighting is not your domain, but now we'll try to transform the pathways around the abandoned streets into improvised rice fields. It's going to be an incredibly difficult undertaking. So make it possible for the rice to grow, I plead you. _Save_ us. A-And… If it's possible, give us a savior."

The world seemed to tilt as she bowed her head to the floor, eyes heavy with emotion.

"Just… Just give us a sign, at least. Send someone… _anyone_. In exchange, I'll serve him and the shrine for the rest of my life. Unconditionally. I _promise_."

Wiping up the wayward tears the best she could, the bluenette blinked a bit to clear her vision, staying frozen for a minute or two, expecting something sudden to happen at any possible moment. When it didn't, she released a drawn-out sigh and slowly climbed back onto her feet, shaky steps leading her to her shack, retreating for the night. The candles burned freely behind her, oddly undisturbed. She landed on her knees on the bedding, door opened halfway and left that way because it didn't even _matter_ anymore, and smashed face first into her pillow, wakeful yet numb-minded for the first time since the terrible thought of unavoidable doom occurred to her.

Leaving the denial behind was a start.

* * *

Something fell right on top of her face and Levy startled into wakefulness, sitting upright and taking into her surroundings with wide eyes and a beating heart, before heaving a sigh and slumping her shoulders. She had the foulest dreams of being ripped into shreds, yet she seemed to still be in the cottage, tangled up in her futon. And the door was still open too, filling the interior with the orange candlelight. There was no need to worry.

However, as she was about to return into the state of slumber, she caught herself feeling a little bit different - something she couldn't pinpoint until her weight lurched inside of her body in a positively uncomfortable manner, the ground proceeding to give a shake on its own.

'_Eh_?' She mouthed, frowning - and then sat back up in a sudden fit of coughs as her throat and eyes started tingling unpleasantly. Wiping the latter with the back of her wrist and carefully blinking open, the bluenette realized why- and it deepened the sudden, nervous feeling sizzling somewhere around her stomach.

There was dust _everywhere_ – swirling about in the air like a shimmering curtain, tickling the eternity of her respiratory system unpleasantly and making more tears well up at the corners of her eyes as she _itched_. Items of all sorts trembled on their spots as well, every few seconds filling the room with faint rattling and ringing that somehow escaped her attention. Every unstable object inside the cluttered space was leaning on the things accompanying it – boxes, crates, pots or some of the larger oddments. Others fell on their sides or the floor and damaged themselves.

Looking up above her head and squinting, she spotted such a bottle on the shelf right above her head and frowned.

_What was going on?_

There was a growl then, right behind the paper-thin walls of her shelter, answering all of her silent questions and driving into a state of panic. The bluenette whipped her head to look at the paper screen proceeding the open Shōji, freezing for a second in fear as a large and menacing shadow rushed to spill across it. She jumped back at that, scrambling against the wall behind her back, kicking the objects in her path away save for the gray kimono she'd quickly covered her naked body with. Her eyes were wide, gaze leaping from the attacker to the open doors and back as she mulled over her chances of survival and an escape plan, thanking god that the creature was stalling with it's advances.

But then, as her wide eyes lingered on the outline of the chimera for a bit longer, a trembling crease started forming on her forehead. The monster… did not quite look like she was used to. It wasn't bulky – having more of feline grace in it than the usual mass. It didn't seem like itself. What meant…

Her pulse slowed, leaving her thoroughly confused and blinking owlishly at the dark mark of its presence before her, who, after a minute confirmation, did not look quite like the chimera she'd rightfully expected. Her hands were shaking as she stuffed them in the sleeves of the kimono like a pair of heavy lugs and clumsily fastened the ties, but as the moment between the creature's arrival and her demise stretched into a full minute, her breathing evened out and the gears in her brain ground together, hinting at something obvious and logical that frolicked just out of her reach until the thick log of its tail separated into a five distinctive lines and swiped at the air.

And if recognizing a Yōkai whose statues she spend her entire life tending to was still beyond her capabilities, then she would be an idiot.

On the other side of the screen stood a Kitsune. Not the chimera eating away at the villagers as she'd feared, but an enormous, two meter tall, tricky fox. The thick appendages coiled around its frame in a leisure peace, attached to a thin midsection and standing strong on four thin legs. The head, shaped like a pen nub and pricking up its ears was turned in her direction, but when she finally jolted back into motion and moved to stand up - it turned, snout scrunching up in a growl.

Suddenly, the five appendages stiffened and shot in the air with a deafening crackle, sending the cottage rattling with a wave of spiritual power. Levy bristled, before covering her head with a scream as objects of all sorts went crashing down into the clutter on the floor, breaking into pieces with dry cracks and spilling around everything they contained, effectively transforming the entire floor into a prickly mess.

Choking inside cloud of rice flour that hung low above the floor, she waited for a moment and then dared open her eyes – squinting and seeking out the shadow of the strange being as powder resettled on the floor.

It was gone. Instead, there were three horizontal lines painted on the paper in crimson, leading all the way to the corner and probably further away.

Levy paused, hands braced on the wall, and her eyes widened, before she wordlessly stood up and quickly guided her steps into the debris to break out outside of her cottage. Almost immediately her bare foot found its way into a shallow puddle of blood trailing all the way from the staircase and the Torii to the shrine, making a detour to stand by her door. Turning into the direction the fox had gone for with a growing sensation of worry, the bluenette immediately passed the corner of her cottage, breath catching in her throat as she spotted the Yōkai nestled in front of the shrine construction and curling its great tails around… what appeared to be a bloodied side. The dark red trails of blood trickled down the inky fur in a bright and morbid contrast, seeping through it and dripping generously on the trodden soil. _What in the world?,_ the shrine keeper thought, jolting as the Kokko opened two crimson eyes and jerked it's head up to glare at her. It hadn't answered in any way, though, slowly turning its head back to analyzing the wound, before unclenching it's jaws and taking a slow, tentative lick at the torn flesh. She saw the black fur bristle straight up from across the yard before the thought it could be painful even occurred in her head. Reaching a small hand to press at her chest and hammering heart, she regarded the creature with mixed feelings for few more seconds before ducking back behind the corner in search of wrappings. When she returned, the fox curled in on itself, snout pressed into the ground and little ragged breaths passing quickly through its teeth as it laid there, unconscious.

* * *

She hadn't gone to the village that morning.

She should have had; the people depended on her. But for the first time, her job as a priestess and shrine keeper overwrote the civic duties.

And it made her feel both odd and uneasy.

She should've been half a mountain away from here, mourning, gathering prayers and trying to calm everyone down. Doing everything she always had, maybe think about some new approach to the situation or wonder about the details of survival plans. Not wasting the day on the futon she'd dragged over to her 'patient', laying on her side and staring into its closed eyes. Definitely not, but Levy would be damned if she'd let anything happen to the one thing, that she'd found made some sort of a difference.

Even if it was only existing. _Solely_ existing. Living though a tear in the side so terrifying it made her wonder how it was even alive.

The sun at this time was only beginning to peek above the jagged horizon, and the clouds caught whatever rays it could've given. That gave the sky a dark hue the large fox seemed to melt into, as still and resting as he was. Not entirely – there was a white, tight bandage around its entire midsection – but as far as her night worth's work wasn't concerned, he was the epitome of stealth.

Levy's eyes slowly slid shut as her thoughts muddled, weariness catching up with her in a dreamless slumber.

* * *

She hadn't known exactly for how long she was out in the darkness, but it was apparently longer than it felt - because when she grimaced and opened her eyes, she was immediately drawn into a pair of narrowed crimson ones.

Vey spiteful and pupil-shrunken to boot.

The growl she remembered fuzzily from last night reverberated deep within the throat of the Yōkai – and dazed as she was, she unwittingly caught a glimpse of sharp teeth as it's snout trembled with the force of it.

The glare it sent her then could've probably made her _combust_, and it worked about as efficiently as a bucket of ice-cold water.

A shiver running up her spine, Levy quickly gathered up from the bedding on her knees, hands in her lap. A particular sort of uncomfortable silence followed as she tried to remember or understand why it looked so upset, while simultaneously trying to avoid the hard gaze of the creature. Licking her lips, she took a deep breath and looked the fox in the eyes – only to shrink away as it scrunched it's snout briefly.

What was going on? Had she done something? Levy felt a bit lost as she gathered up her thoughts.

Eventually, without making eye contact, she swallowed and said,

"…H-Hello?"

And her voice sounded incredibly meek even for her own ears - partially deafened by the irrated rumble the fox emanated as it already were.

Blushing self-consciously, she wrung her hands and waited for an answer. It hasn't come. After twenty seconds, she became a bit uneasy, mustering up the courage to look the fox in the eyes and getting an eyeful of scorn, send just for her.

The next minute of silence discouraged her.

The Kokko was ignoring her, and she had no idea why. Brows furrowing as she raised her head a little, she mulled whether to, in the light of the situation, try asking any of the questions bubbling up at the back of her throat or not, but eventually decided against it, completely dejected. She had her own suspicions concerning the Yōkai's mysterious arrival but voiced none. She just sat there, having no idea what to do, before the insistent noise forced her to excuse herself to think and quickly disappear on the road to the river.

The Yōkai rumbled on throughout the day, the sound dark and intense and so low that sometimes she wasn't sure if it was her imagination or it really let the time pass while needlessly wearying it's throat. Under normal circumstances she would probably find herself liking the sound – it had the quality that made the hairs at the back of her head stand up - however, coupled with the scorning meaning and the fact she was trying to focus on her work and think of a new approach strategy, it became rather irksome.

Her frown deepening, she wondered if it was doing it on purpose, all the while trying to keep calm - but around afternoon her patience broke and she huffed, setting down the basin with herbal suds with an audible _clank_. Walking out of the devastated interior of her cottage, she stopped before the crippled fox with hands on her hips, frowning when it laid its ears close to its head and looked up at her. Meeting it's gaze and trying not to shudder, she demanded, not without a bite to her tone,

"Could you _please_ stop it?!"

The growling stopped abruptly, the eyes of the fox narrowing into a glare and the pupils shrinking further until only small slits remained. The inky fur on the eternity of its body bristled up in a warning – a hundred thousand tiny black pins raising up slightly to make it look even more intimidating - and Levy frowned softly at the change, wondering if she'd just pushed her luck, but discarded the thought a second later. Surely, she'd done nothing wrong?

Her hands balled into fists where they rested and she refused to break the eye contact - but the doubt must've reflected on her face _somehow_ because all of its tails twitched at once and it's gaze seemed to become more inquiring. At least for a second.

Then it gave a humorless snort and looked away from her - and despite not knowing what was going on, Levy suddenly felt hurt, like she'd just failed a test.

The bluenette backed away a few steps and turned around while mumbling something along the lines of '_I'll get you some water'_. Already halfway across the yard and intent on disappearing back in the half-cleaned interior of her cottage, she stopped suddenly, feeling the need at least _say_ something.

So, turning around, she'd already begun,

"I'm glad you're-"

Before the short speech degenerated into a startled gasp.

The Kitsune was gone, like it never had been there in the first place. The only indication were the tree branches and shrubs near the staircase leading to the village, slowly bobbing up and down like something just sped through.

Before she really thought about it, Levy was already running toward them, stomach clenching tightly with the same sensations she'd felt when she saw the Yōkai wounded before the shrine - but with some additional anger and exasperation to spike her temper.

* * *

From the amount of dancing branches before her, Levy easily concluded it was advancing _much_ more rapidly than she did – and immediately thought about the wound on its side. _What a brilliant way to further breach the internals_, she huffed, worried and angry as she ventured into the more inhospitable parts of the mountainside. Though she was sturdier than most after years of mountain climbing, she was running out of breath and not giving herself any breaks. The thick foliage obscured her view from mid-calf down so she occasionally stumbled in her step, branches pulling at her kimono and twigs catching in her hair. If she hadn't known that no predator lived here anymore – except for the one she was trying to chase down – she'd also would've had to watch out for snakes and the likes. Probably turned back, too.

Or not.

A tinge of red flashed in the corner of her eye and she turned her head to examine a line of cooling lifeblood stretching across the leaves of a short shrub. Despite the fury, her breath hitched and she slowed down, searching hurriedly for the traces of the crimson liquid and following them as the thicket started to loosen up. The mist, usually rolling over the valley in the rain season, begun to obscure her vision. She chose the wrong way to follow _twice_ and had to backtrack, and her stomach tightened at the increasing amounts of gore on her path.

Unexpectedly, the shrubbery ended and Levy broke out into the vast, fern covered cathedral of mossy, ancient trees. Almost falling when the constant pull on her clothes suddenly just let _go_, she stumbled to a halt, feet squelching as they descended into a hidden puddle and making her yelp.

The sound echoed about in the enveloping silence, and then all she heard was a little stream, splashing happily in her vicinity. The bluenette glanced around in a daze, stepping out of the water and trying to catch her breath. Examining the area restlessly, she searched for any more blood tracks, but much to her anxiety, there were none. She walked in circles for good five minutes before she stopped, and admitted to herself that she'd lost them.

Then she lumbered toward a large root sticking out from the ground and sat down.

The fox was gone.

Drawing her knees to her chest and hiding her face from the outside, the bluenette shivered from the cold and tried to gather her thoughts, rims of her eyes slowly welling up with tears. There was no way_._ She couldn't.

Oh God, she was a failure. An Inari priestess that made an almost vitally wounded Kitsune escape from the shrine where it was supposed to be safe and tended to, and she hadn't even understood _why_. Fisting her hands into her wet kimono – courtesy of the liquefying mist – the girl felt her lip tremble, tears falling down her cheeks as she wept silently. It was really gone. And was probably going to die, sooner or later, just like her villagers.

_So much for a difference_.

The next minutes were spent on silent crying as she hid away in shame, not even a choked sob escaping past her lips as she bit them until the skin broke and the stab of pain roused her from her stupor. Trembling like a leaf and feeling her lip, she wondered what would happen once the chimera felt hunger again, and the possibilities made her stomach clench with fear and straighten abruptly.

Right on cue to catch a fern clump tremble a good two dozen meters away and almost startle out of her skin at the unexpected occurrence – the cry echoing about long after she'd released it and making her cheeks redden with embarrassment.

Her eyes instantly focused on the blurry outline, moving in a way that compelled her to follow it. One foot reaching out carefully to settle amidst the pistachio colored leaves, she jumped as the cluster froze, and the one placed further sprung to life instead - before she moved to follow it, trying to wipe the tears and snot off her face as she quickened her pace.

Whatever was leading her into the forest soon became suspiciously clear with its motives and she wasn't about to judge it because of it. When she reached a crossing of flows, acting like rapid barrier to the plants behind her and the mud and rocks on the other side, Levy slowed down and frowned, searching for the best way to the other side. Looking around for the trembling bush, she saw it appear near a small dam of rocks, giving a firm shake before it returned to its original state. Moving in the proposed direction, the keeper climbed on the first chunk of stone and leapt at the one following it, leaving another mossy rock behind as she carefully made it to the other side. As she advanced, she saw a red spot on the mud with some imprints in the mud, and confirmed with relief that she was indeed pushed back on track, soon disappearing amidst the wide trunks as she ran.

As the steps echoed farther and farther away, a black cat jumped gracefully from its hiding amidst the dam, fixing it's eyes on the same crimson mark before its two tails twitched with barely hidden irration.

_Idiots, the lot of them._

* * *

When she finally found the Yōkai – curled up in the centre of a cluster of small, broken trees - it was laying on the ground and seemingly just as out of breath as she was, the wrappings on its chest either loosened up, torn or caught between the long tails. It was licking at the wound again, and she winced at the blood-stained flesh peeking out behind the ruined bindings.

It's ears were perked up in her direction and she knew it knew she'd finally caught up. Still catching her breath, she wasted no time in taking a step forward, stopping briefly as he let out a sharp growl from where he worked.

However, the hostility wouldn't stop her this time.

So, brushing off the 'leave me the hell alone' themed protest or the angered swipe of its tails, she closed in on it until she reached the sheen of blood covering the eternity of the space around him- clasping her hands in front of herself and asking seriously,

"Can I help?"

"_What do you think?_" replied a deep, haughty- and at the moment incredibly irate voice and she startled, before realizing that yes, the Kitsune spoke back, and that it was most definitely a _male_ Kitsune, too.

The rough baritone immediately made her tremble, and she had to swallow before stilling herself and smiling mirthlessly. Twisting her words back at him, she answered calmly, "I think that if I tried being nice out of my own volition, you'd just end up running again."

There was a sharp growl then, and the entire black fur on him bristled, head cocking to the side so one livid eye could glare daggers at her.

"_Do you have any idea what you just said to me, girl?!_"

"I am being honest," Levy responded, taking a quick step back as his muscles flexed, ready to pounce.

"_No!"_ the fox snarled, "_You are being a cocky little bitch!_"

The keepers mouth fell open at the insult, cheeks coloring and a scowl marring her features. "How _dare_ you!"

"So _you claim you don't even know what you said?!"_

"No!" She raised her voice back at him, "I have been nice to you! You were the one who stared at me like I was- some sort- some sort of an _insect_!"

"_DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT YOU SAID WHEN YOU MADE THE BLOODY __**PROMISE**__?!"_

"I said- _What_?!" Levy paused, taken aback and mulling over the few statements she made to him, before scowling. "I haven't promised _anything_!"

"_Not _**now**_!"_ There was a tone of exasperation in his voice now, like she was a particularly stupid case of a human being. "_Listen, little fool. During the offering you gambled your entire measly __**life**__. You offered to serve me. It's the same of making yourself a servant! And little servants like you don't go treating their masters like equals."_

"This is ridiculous," Levy huffed, stomach tightening as she caught on. The Kokko snorted loudly, bloodied snout scrunching up to show his teeth.

"_Well, it's your fault for betting your life on it!"_

"Well, if you're so _precise_ about it, it would be nice for you to know that I'm becoming your personal doormat _**after**_ you kill the demon plaguing the village, and not a second earlier!" she screamed at him.

He lunged at her, then – an actual _bark_ of all things escaping the bloodied mouth – but then he jerked mid leap and lost the momentum, falling in a heap at her feet and hissing lowly. The bluenette gasped, the hands covering her face from his attack moving to untie and salvage the bindings as his side started bleeding uncontrollably, and the silence that occurred was an awkward one – as she tried to tug her entire collection of wrappings off him and maybe, just _maybe_ stop the bleeding so he wouldn't die on her and dash her hopes of defeating the chimera, while he - contrary to his earlier haughtiness, mind you - was submissive like a trained dog, panting and shaking softly from the loss of blood.

Eventually, he managed to wheeze out, a rakish smile slowly stretching across his snout:

"_She told me… to take the quest and do the job, but… hadn't told me_ when_. So you'd better get me back in shape, shrimp… or we're in for a hard time."_

An odd sort of a laugh escaped him then, and he added,

"_My name is Gajeel, and you will refer to me as your master, Gajeel-sama."_

Levy nodded, working at his side with a steadily increasing amount of annoyance, until she had enough and dug her fingers into the surprisingly soft fur at the rim of his wound, finding some sort of perverse pleasure in hearing him curse.

"I'm Levy, the keeper of the Inari shrine. Pleased to meet you, Gajeel!"

He was _livid_.

* * *

**First day over! :D And yes, the chapters of this are going to be LONG, heheh. I would like Ulcaasi to help me with his awesome grammar nazi just like he had earlier if I've got any mistakes in here.**

**Well, writing this was hard but fun! And Gajeel is a bastard. I love it when he's a bastard, but in TDP I hadn't given him time to be so.**

**Speaking of witch, I should probably get to writing the next chapter. Sorry folks – after the Spanish test! (I got -3 and passed! :D)**

**Also, I'd rewritten the first chapters of FotR, you might want to see that. They're much more enjoyable now, am I right or am I right.**

**AND I HAVE LILY IN THIS FIC TOO! :D AND HE'S AN AWESOME BAKENEKO!**

**Review, I worked haaard for it!**

_~HeartGold12_

**EDIT: Fixed the mistakes!**

**Terms:**

**Yōkai - a class of supernatural monsters in Japanese culture. Not quite demons or spirits.**

**Kokko - Black fox. There are also Byakko(white), Ginko(silver), Kinko(gold) foxes, and others. (Google translate gave me Kuroko for some reason, so don't trust this piece so much)  
**

**Bakeneko - Two tailed cats who can talk, create ghostly fireballs, bring dead back to live and control them by leaping over their bodies.**


	4. A taste in Dictature

**I have a cover pageeeeee I have no idea where i'd found it but it's all of my dreams combined! *Q***

**Beware, this is the still unchecked version. I'll edit it when Ulcaasi will get some well deserved rest and finish up uvu**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_~Day two~_

"_You're doing it wrong. Seriously Shorty, who even let you maintain this place?"_

It could just be him getting his revenge, but from the morning of the second day she'd spent in his presence, it took Gajeel _three hours_ to simply criticize her looks, dressing manner, the quality of food which she offered Inari when making the _promise_ and most importantly, her treatment. For three full hours, while she was restlessly cleaning and maintaining and being generally busy, he growled, hissed and rumbled at her in the most distracting manner - and when it seemed she could finally get used to the rudeness, he always, _always_ found a new sore spot to stress on. On the contrary to the previous day, when Gajeel seemed somewhat more dizzy and slow-thinking - after a long, undisturbed rest he found his wit back, along with a sharp and clever mind to help it. He could make the littlest thing she'd done into a crime and easily turn her comebacks against her, and Levy wanted to scream in frustration over the injustice of it all. If _she_ would go verbally bashing at his pride, he'd have her head in an instant.

Her salvation came in the form of a morning river bath, during which she maximally stretched her cleaning routine to prolong the simple quietness and peace she _needed_ so badly to calm down. Scrubbing herself raw, the shrine keeper made sure not to leave any dirty spots on her person to fuel the cranky Kitsune sitting in the middle of the yard at the shrine, and then begrudgingly headed back, pace slow and dignified and taking as much time as she wanted. She stuck her nose in the air, snorted a bit and pretended to be fussy and obsessed like he was, enjoying every moment of it as much as he seemed to love tormenting her. Then she faltered.

He outright told her - her red kimono was for tea ceremonies and she'd been misusing it. At least she was happy it wasn't for elderly women – what would her villagers think of her then, dressed so inappropriately? But still, knowing she completely failed at the visualizing of the evening prayers left her bitter to the bone. She'd failed, and it was one thing she couldn't argue with the Kitsune about. Anyhow, one of the questions plaguing her for years was solved, but that in turn left her without ceremonial clothes - until the demon will be slain and the village will be able again to safely contact with the world outside, she will need to pray naked.

Her mouth went dry at that. She will need to pray naked and Gajeel will be there. Watching her. He was staring as she prayed yesterday, perhaps waiting for her to start begging Inari to make him go away. But she hadn't. She was doing it for the greater good, for the innocent survivors down in the valley, and if it meant getting them out alive, she'd be more than happy to put up with every obstacle that came her way. So she just prayed, apologizing for the lack of nourishments for the goddess and chanting softly, and when she finished, he was sound asleep, his great head resting of his front paws.

She wondered if he was looking up to see her bare and vulnerable, counting on her to break this time. So far, she felt like she would.

It was saddening for something so familiar and comforting as evening prayers was to become a test of her will with a haughty Yōkai.

'_Just… Just a little bit more time,'_ Levy thought as she walked. Just one more day, and she will gather the courage to do it. She promised herself she would do it, and stuck grimly to her resolve as she stepped off the dirt patch and onto the shrine grounds.

Immediately catching the fox from the corner of her eye, the shrine keeper turned her head away and pointedly ignored his unwelcoming growl of annoyance. She meant to head to her cottage to avoid confrontation for a little while longer, but stopped as she heard him holler behind her retreating back with obvious irration.

"_Oi! What took you so long?!_"

_The nerve of that guy!_ Levy felt her lips tighten into a thin line as she felt his narrowed eyes drill into the back of her head, all of the annoyance she was trying to get rid of rushing back to her at the sound of his deep voice. Like she'd tell him that he was an insufferable bastard and she was tired of him. It'd probably only flatter his ego.

"_Shrimp!"_

Turning around abruptly, the bluenette found herself exclaiming at him, "Don't call me a _shrimp!_" and then, just in case, moving her hands up in front of her face. She hated it – the amount of power he'd held over her with his strength. Yesterday, both of them spent a good chunk of time arguing and bending her promise back and forth for their own needs, and she'd _won_ that spar_._ But he could still kill her in a flash of his teeth, and it intimidated her.

Technically, she was supposed to be safe until he'd fought off the chimera. Then again, he was a Yōkai, and you were never sure how one of them would react.

The Kitsune bristled all over, but remained calm, warning shining clearly in his eyes as he grinned. "_The flea talks back_._ I thought you'd lost your voice for a second._"

"I am busy." Levy answered, slowly lowering her hands to her sides, fisting her hands to keep from trembling.

"_I don't care,"_ he replied honestly, and the shrine keeper felt something pop in her head, signaling an impending headache. "_I want my wrappings changed._"

"I'll get to it in a second, just let me finish."

He snorted, gaze narrowing, but let her go - and she quickly escaped into the cottage, slid the door shut behind herself and pulled at her blue hair in mute rage.

* * *

Changing the bandages was more of a chore than she'd expected, though luckily, Gajeel kept his mouth shut. With a great deal of surprise Levy learned that at least he'd held a _little_ respect for her – or at least, for the job she was doing to get him back on his feet – and profusely thanked Inari for that. It was a blessing in disguise, to have him quiet his snappy remarks while not simultaneously escaping from him altogether. Though it hadn't made moving him around to take off her poor collection of wrappings any easier.

Levy could only shake her head at their state - they were bloodied all the way though on more than half of their lengths, tattered, cut and stretched. Quickly retrieving a basin from her hut and filling it up with the rainwater from a barrel behind it, she pulled her sleeves up and set to work. Washing them in herbal suds as delicately as she could - as to not rip the strained material further, the bluenette sometimes sneaked peeks as the Yōkai, and saw him either watching her work or examining his injuries.

Hoping it was a good idea, she decided to probe a bit on the silence stretching between the two. "How fast do you heal?"

He hadn't replied at first, opting to raise his eyes from the terrible gash on his side to stare at her. She hadn't looked up from her work, too focused on a particularly dirty splotch on the material.

"_My wound will be closed in three days time._" he answered finally, and Levy bit her lip in consideration, before shaking her head.

"It won't. You've deepened it while you escaped. Though you may move very soon, your complete recovery will _definitely_ take a bit longer."

"_If you're so smart, then why have you asked in the first place?"_ he growled at that. Levy bit her lip to stifle a sigh, and then pulled away from her work to move to his side. He stiffened as she obviously got too close, letting out a small warning when she crouched at his side.

"_Oi, if you think I'll let you poke me with those dirty hands I'll-"_

"Just let me see it," Levy murmured seriously, and he fell silent, teeth exposed as he watched her bring her face very, very close to the half-closed slash. Her breath mussed his fur slightly as she regarded it, comparing to how she remembered it before the flesh tore further.

"It's almost twice as deep," she finally said, leaning away, and his ears flattened against his head at the disapproving stare she send him.

"_Fine, so it'll take about a week. I've been worse. Now move back!"_ he rumbled angrily, and Levy did just that, resuming her washing while intentionally leaving him to stare at her back. It probably made him want to do something violent to her, but she didn't care. He'd just ticked her off again.

Eventually, when she was about halfway through, her eyes met with a tattered hole the size of a small rock, followed by an ugly slash though the material that left only a handful of intact threads keeping the bandage together. She cursed softly. Now she needed to get a sewing kit, darn the hole and fix the cut. She puffed out her cheeks at the prospect of another hour of work, and just decided to cut out the entire part and connect the intact halves. It still took her twenty more minutes, during which the Yōkai behind her seemed to get bored.

Levy repeated this treatment four more times before the long strip was completely mended and she was ready to put the dried bindings back on the fox. Turning around, she saw him laying with his head on his paws, tails swaying leisurely with the breeze.

"I'm going to wrap you back up now."

The tails abruptly turned direction and he gave a rumbling hum, before his eyes opened and his entire body snapped into motion. Raising onto his hunches, he watched as she backtracked to the first strips of the material with her small fingers and stepped up to him, carefully reaching underneath his stomach so she could form the first loop.

Levy immediately noticed that her hands were too short to connect on his other side without pressing her chest into his wound and bit her lip. She was stuck, unless she moved down along his abdomen and leaned on the Gajeel's body quite heavily, and she wasn't too keen on the idea.

It's not like the fox wouldn't start reprimanding her for making him wait too long, though. So, mumbling something under her breath, she took a careful step to the left, and managed to catch the troublesome end just before he bristled.

"_What are you doing?"_ Gajeel asked suspiciously when she slid the loop into place and begrudgingly repeated the process.

"I'm bandaging you up," Levy replied, squeaking when he shifted abruptly. "Don't move! You're ruining my work!"

"_You aren't doing it properly," _He countered with a snarl. The bluenette narrowed her eyes at him, lips drawing into a thin line. He was doubting her capabilities just because her way was a little different?

"_Excuse me_, I am the medic here! The only problem is you being far too big to bandage up normally!"

"_So you admit you can't do it properly?"_ he questioned her, irises shrinking as she met his gaze with her own.

"No! Of course I can do it!" Levy exclaimed, losing her temper. "Just don't move!"

"_It seems like you can't."_

"Stop talking like I can't even bandage you up!" she cried out, exasperation creeping into her voice. "I've spent my entire life taking care of myself; I think I know how to correctly wrap up a wound!"

It could be the spur of the moment. Or maybe she was just tired. Either way, the two words were out of her mouth before she couldn't stop herself – and when she realized what she did, it was already too late.

"_Stupid Gajeel!"_

He'd had her pinned underneath his own body in a second.

Gasping out loud as his massive chest pressed down on her, the bluenette started squirming and fighting immediately, but that only let him fit more snugly between her kicking legs and successfully smother her. The more she fought, the more weight he put on her, and after a minute, she just stopped, gasping feebly for air as he drew back slightly. Levy turned her head away, trying to escape his livid gaze as he bought his face – and all of his shining teeth – really, _really_ close to hers, but she still knew it was there. And she was scared.

"_Look at me."_

She shook her head a little bit, eyes filling up with tears that she futilely tried to hold back. She felt his chest quicken it's movement as he fought with a new wave of anger, and then ordered a bit more forcefully, "_Look. At. Me."_

It felt like an eternity before her eyes finally connected with his. He was a blurry outline, imposing on her vision, two crimson eyes glaring down at her. Sniffling a bit to clear her nose, she blinked the moisture in her eyes aside, and listened as he rumbled at her roughly.

"_Hear me now, you little fool. You don't know who I am and you will not insult me - and if I knew any better, you'd be dead by now. You're pathetic. I watched you work and how you progressively made every ceremony in this shrine, a place of worship of my_ God_, into a joke. I can easily say that you're just a little girl, closed off from the entire world and thinking you're better than everyone else-"_

"But I'm _not_."

Gajeel stared down at the small shrine keeper underneath him, becoming more than slightly ticked off. Wouldn't she _ever_ learn? "_Don't interrupt-"_

But the defiant gleam in her eyes as she stared at him had the words dying out in his maw.

"I," Levy hissed, pushing her chin up as she stared at the Yōkai with all of her righteous fury. "Am _not_ closed off from the world. I am not _joking_. And you are wrong about everything!"

He drew back slightly out of sheer surprise as she pushed herself up onto her elbows to get a bit closer, eyes widening as she all but started shouting at him, "It's you who doesn't understand anything! You see only what you want to see and nothing else! All you've done so far was being a huge _jerk_, wanting everything and giving nothing in return while you don't even deserve it-"

"_Shut up!_" he hissed, but she ignored him, caught up in her anger.

"No! Now you listen to me! It would definitely make it easier for both of us if you stopped being all _high_ and _mighty_ and maybe actually helped me get better! But _no_, you probably _like_ making my life into hell! You tell me I don't know you, but you don't know _anything_ about me in return! If you were really as great as you claim yourself to be, then in my opinion, you would be a different person _altogether_! So-"

Gajeel roared right into her face, and she fell back, limp like a rag doll with her eyes wide open. Her lips twisted into a very dejected smirk at the livid look on his face.

"So… Come on, Gajeel. Show me how great a savior you _really_ are."

He did not answer, catching his sharp teeth into her grey kimono and easily ripping it off her heaving ribcage, preparing for a clear shot at her heart. The _bitch_. He'd show her indeed how one ended up after lecturing and shouting at someone like him. He felt her hands, pinned to her sides by his front paws, struggle to cover herself as he stared at her exposed chest. The lower part wasn't any better, with the material hiked up her creamy legs. She was caught and exposed, completely at his mercy, and he dragged the moment on to deepen her humiliation, staring unabashedly at her squirming exposed breasts and hearing clearly her hammering heart.

The only two things gnawing at his consciousness were her eyes, clouding over with a new wave of tears, but still glaring at him. A myriad of emotions swirled in their depths, each one clear enough to make him begrudgingly catch and consider them – anger, fear, sadness, pain, responsibility, inadequacy, and shadows so deep they made her seem at least a decade older. She seemed to second guess throwing her life away if the ever increasing heartbeat was any indication, but still made no move to fight him. She was just too fucking stubborn.

And when he regarded her like that, about to die by his hands after all the mushy talking about the poor villagers needing her help – and still having enough pride to let him do it – he finally felt a spark of true respect for her.

Moving back to stare her in the eyes, Gajeel made a show of letting her go, before uttering just one word at her trembling form on the ground.

"_Fine."_

Levy blinked, hands sneaking up to cover her chest tightly as she choked out, "Excuse me?"

"_I said fine."_ he huffed, tails swinging back and forth angrily. _"Don't make me regret it."_

Levy's rapid breathing slowly evened out as she fumbled around to carefully wipe the onslaught of tears off her face. "I'm not." She protested weakly, before she started smoothing out her tattered kimono. To her deeper surprise, he did not reply.

"_Do you have any different clothes?"_ The Yōkai asked suddenly, and she startled, finding it incredibly uncanny to be asking such normal questions after he'd just tried… killing… her.

"Only the… Only the Iromuji."

"_Get changed and finish bandaging me up."_ Somehow it didn't seem like an order anymore.

"Y-Yeah. And… Gajeel-san?"

"_What do you want?"_ he growled. Levy swallowed, eyes distant.

"I… I am not a closed off little girl."

Eyes narrowing at the denial, he grunted, _"I heard you before."_

"Oh. Alright."

He watched her closely while she limped back to her cottage, when she came back donning vermilion and while she struggled with his midsection. There was a particular feeling of curiosity in him, along with something else. It might've been guilt, but then again, he wasn't feeling particularly remorseful, just a bit stupid. Maybe he was embarrassed he'd made a fool out of himself. Or maybe because the tables have temporarily turned and he was the one serving her for free - for _now_, anyway.

"_I will start teaching you what I know when I feel slightly better. I hope you're as smart as you claim to be, short-stuff."_

If she thought she'll have it easy, she was wrong.

Levy paused to stare at him, incomprehension evident on her face for a second before it clicked, and she nodded. "I'll try."

Though for today, it was enough.

* * *

**Okay, wow. I admire myself so much right now. Day two is over! Now that Gajeel and Levy don't want to kill each other, we'll get to the more embarrassing stuff, heheh :D**

**Liked it? Tell me what you think! Reviews raise my writing spirit a LOT. On the other side, when I receive no feedback, I'm pretty dejected.  
**

**Iromuji – Plain one-color kimono. Appropriate for many occasions, but especially for tea ceremonies. The lack of adornments does not distract from the importance of the tea itself.**

**Also, if any of you'll see some terrible and embarrasing mistakes, tell me immediately!**

_~HeartGold12_


	5. Lesson Number One

_~Day three, part one~_

Gajeel slept quietly in the middle of the shrine yard, tails wrapped protectively around his side. At this early of an hour it was still rather dark outside, and the dwelling mist pressed down on the valley like a cobalt mattress, obscuring the world and leaving it in a blurry nothingness. A light drizzle fell down from the sky, dampening the fur of the Kitsune as he rested, with an occasional gust of wind that had him rouse and twitch his ears disinterestedly.

That's what the tiny shrine keeper would see if she was put in his place. But right now it was the black cat who stood before the Yōkai, still as a statue and waiting patiently for the fox to cut off his act and 'wake up'. Pantherlily hoped to outdo him in the wait – knowing it was likely his punishment for the help he'd offered to the little one two days prior. However, it was well past four hours since he came into the shrine and if this kind of attitude kept up, she would be up before he'll have a chance to say anything.

Finally, just as he gave up and opened his muzzle to call out to his partner, the Kitsune's eyes opened abruptly, their owner slowly raising a nonexistent eyebrow as he took in the startled Bakeneko no further than half a meter away from his face.

"_Hey Lil'. What's with the size today?"_

Although his stance betrayed nothing, Lily could almost immediately see the brimming irritation in his partner's eyes and that halted any sarcastic comeback he'd prepared for him. Then the sentence registered and he sighed, eyes narrowing slightly. _Now this was definitely his punishment_, he mused as he felt a sting of self-consciousness chip at his pride, and quite an annoying one to boot. And earned for what, saving his life? Damn that fox.

Much to his exasperation, the barrier of the shrine was as tricky as it's spiritual inhabitants. It let you pass though as long as you possessed no malevolent intent and successfully hid you away from the dangers of the outside. However, those who passed its borders were… quite abruptly stripped of their spiritual energy, preventing any con from taking a place. Therefore, Lily himself found himself reduced to a pitiful little kitten, without an option to leave. And the most interesting thing was that Gajeel himself wasn't affected by the barrier in the least.

It was no secret that although handy and nostalgic, Lily's little form made him feel a little out of place, especially considering his usual surroundings. It was a form that showed his vulnerability, that almost nobody had ever seen - and to be forced into it for long periods of time was… uncanny.

And it was worse when he knew he couldn't change back at all.

Regarding the agitated Yōkai before him, Pantherlily noticed a certain impatience in his crimson eyes. Surely Gajeel was waiting for him to retaliate. Anticipating it, probably. But Lily was as cunning as Gajeel was, and he had a habit of turning the odds to his advantage.

After witnessing the events of the previous day, the cat, who has quickly grown to like the little resolute shrine-keeper had no intention of letting his idiot partner needlessly harm her, _again_, and he was sure to make him realize it. The little beauty immediately hit him as a kind and lively spirit, albeit burdened with years of suffering. She'd even possessed slight purifying powers, though _that_ at least seemed to be noticed by the other party. And then there was her sheer determination.

He would not let Gajeel throw away such a doll. And he had no intention of having his good intentions thrown back in his face, anyway.

Letting out a chuckle, the cat dropped on his hunches, tails swinging from time to time as he slowly lowered himself on the wet cobblestone and relaxed. _"It's nice to change the routine sometimes, you know,"_ he purred contently, watching witch great interest as the Kitsune searched for a double meaning.

Eventually, his words had the desired effect, and he allowed himself to smirk as it was his partner's turn to startle, before giving him an outraged stare. _"Are you referring to something particular here, Lily?"_

"_No, of course not,"_ The Bakeneko disagreed. _"After all, your usual attitude got you all the shots at the girl's chest you'd ever wanted. Who needs morality and respect to obtain a lovely bosom to stare at when you can just pin the woman down and rip off her clothes?"_ However, as he said this, he once again became serious. _"I thought you were going to kill her right then and there. Thankfully you seem to have at least an idea how… inconvenient, amidst the other things, that is."_

"_Inconvenient?"_ the fox echoed, before his fur bristled up from his anger and he growled lowly. _"You seem to get the wrong idea."_

"_Well then,"_ Lily countered, _"prove me wrong. For all I know it's just the fact that Inari-sama would force you to finish your part of the deal anyway, that kept you from finishing the poor girl off."_

"_Well then." _Gajeel mimicked darkly,_ "Don't underestimate me."_

"_Then tell me the truth. You know I watched your exchange though the barrier yesterday; however, you are also aware I heard none of the words passing between you. It's a shame, too, because I'd get to hear your excuses-"_

"_Quiet." _Gajeel cut him off with a snarl, before looking at him with such seriousness that the cat couldn't help but obey him. Looking at the fox skeptically, he waited for an answer, startling a bit as the Kitsune finally turned his head to stare at the spoke then, and the contemplating, annoyed look on his face caught Lily off-guard.

"_If I were to get stuck with some puny little orphan who can't even take an order, then you're wrong," _he murmured_. "I wouldn't kill her. I'd eradicate her. Doing otherwise will only mean more annoyment in the future."_

"_So you consider Levy not to be-"_

"_No!"_ The fox objected immediately as his face twisted into a scowl of pure annoyance. "_I mean, she's insufferable. Rude. With the worst attitude too."_

"_Then why had you hesitated?"_ Lily inquired softly. Gajeel huffed and turned his head away, letting a particularly awkward silence stretch over the two as the cat regarded him with genuine curiosity. Finally, he cursed, eyes turning to look at the shack with something like a need of reassurance, before his entire posture slumped and he sighed.

"_She's… She's just too damn stubborn for her own good,"_ he spoke eventually, gaze narrowing. "_Terrible, but there's more to her then just that. It's redeeming enough to give her a second chance… I think."_

The Kitsune fell silent again, clearly awkward. Then he turned his gaze – which looked strangely distraught – back onto his partner… and promptly bristled all over, eyes widening at the sly smirk the cat send him.

"_So I was right about her, In the end."_ Lily murmured, "_You like her!"_ and then narrowly avoided a swipe that the fox directed at him a second later, shock mixing with embarrassment and resulting in an outrage.

"_What the hell, Lil?! Don't go around putting words in my mouth!" _he roared, not caring if he woke up the person they were talking about or not as he started clawing at the ground to get up and reach his fleeing bastard of a friend. He was _laughing_ at him!_ "If I'd known any better, she'd be dead by now!"_

"_But she's not." _Pantherlily said triumphantly as he watched the fox slowly push himself up, driven by his anger. _"Which means that she's staying with us from now on. Speaking of which, when are you going to show it to her?"_

"_What the fuck are you talking about?!" _He hissed, making sure the bandages weren't breached before taking a first heavy step in the direction of the black cat.

"_There are broad leaves all around you,_" Lily purred, taking a leap towards the shrubbery as they heard a moan of protest resound in the cottage, before there was a flutter of sheets as its lone occupant burrowed her face in her futon. "_So there is no other foolish reason for you to delay the meeting."_

With that, he left the fuming fox behind as he exited the barrier, letting out a breath of pure relief as he felt his body expand and settle on the size he preferred. Running stealthily into the depths of the valley, he noted with some exasperation that not once has Gajeel said the shrine maiden's name out loud. However, if not asking gave him an opportunity to change the situation for the better, he was all too willing to wait.

Back at the shrine yard, Gajeel raged inwardly for a few long minutes before he heard Levy settle back into complete slumber, and then shook his head roughly. Damn that cat and his meddling. Looking down at his furry paws, he slowly raised one from the ground, turning the appendage around and separating the clawed digits in an oddly human fashion. His balance wavered and he slammed it back on the cobblestone, cursing under his breath. Turning his head to the side, the fox kept his guard up as he made a few experimental movements back on forth to test his side and sighed softly in relief when no more skin tore or split under the strain. The bandage stayed white. He felt uncomfortable, but he could walk. Not very fast, but still.

Slowly, a smirk crept up his face, the gears in his head starting to move as he thought of something. He did indeed had his paws full of broad leaves to do what Lily suggested. He was fairly well rested and if he hurried up…

_So… Show it to her, eh? Well then, little innocent Levy was in for a surprise…_

* * *

The sky was already a swirl of white and gray when Levy roused from her dreams. She turned her head away from the cheating light of the same color assaulting her through the eyelids, hand reaching from atop the matters to stifle a large yawn as she tried to turn on her side with a grumble. Ever since Gajeel took his seemingly permanent place in the middle of her yard, she seemed constantly tired and just willed for a few more minutes of precious sleep to ensure she was ready to face the day. Right now, she felt as pathetic as a bug. She couldn't even turn on her side! The mattress felt as if it was pinned to her body.

Scrunching her face up in annoyance, the small bluenette reached for the rim of the cover to simply throw it off, startling right out of her skin as she encountered something akin to a formidable wooden pole on her way - only it was warm. And silky to the touch. Almost like-

Her eyes shot open the exact same moment her vision was roughly obscured by a hand clamping down on her face, and she cried out, her own small palms shooting up to remove it and recover her vision. The journey was cut short as her nails dug into more body – a man's tough body definitely – and she realized with a helpless jerk that she was trapped right underneath him.

_Who was he? What was he doing there?! Where was Gajeel-_

"Let me go!" She squeaked, mouth falling open in shock as she heard a chuckle somewhere above her head, one of the hands pinning her covers down on her moving to gently tug at her hair, and then reach out to touch her cheek. Her tone skyrocketed and she screamed, "_LET ME GO!"_

The hold loosened up abruptly, a pained hiss echoing in the cottage as the weight of the man's hand lifted off her face. Levy gasped as his body let go of the mattress, reaching out for the nearest box or whatever piece of furniture to pull herself out. She intended on running out and making her way to the village – but before she made it as far as a step away, she felt an iron grip on her ankle, dragging her kicking and screaming back underneath her assaulter-

"Fucking damn it, _relax!_ It's not like I'm going to rape you or anything!"

"_I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!"_ Levy hollered, before hitting the man squarely in the forehead with her foot. A shrill cry tore out of her throat as something sharp found its way underneath the tender skin of her toe. "Ow! _Ow!_ It hurts!"

"You kick like a fucking horse, what do you expect!" The male shouted back at her.

"No! It _stings_! Get it _out_!"

"What are you- oh for fuck's sake."

As Levy covered her nakedness and wailed in pain – her foot felt like it was on _fire_ – her assaulter gently tilted his head, grasping her foot firmly and skillfully dislodging it from his face. Levy felt him tug her up and give her a shake that left her head spinning. "Don't get so worked up, It's pathetic."

"But…" She croaked out.

"Oi, give me a chance before you decide that I'm the worst man on earth." He muttered agitatedly, and Levy couldn't help but wipe off her tears and blink up at him. "It was supposed to be a joke, but you're a freaking prude, aren't you?"

Then he caught her face between his hands, pulling it close so she could get a look at his face the moment she really opened her eyes, and when she did, he scowled. "Guess who I am."

"I don't know- _Gajeel?!_"

"Took you long enough," the Kitsune agreed in all of his transformed glory, one hand reaching up to flatten a pointy ear into the thick mane of black hair. The other hooked underneath her pointy chin and clicked her mouth shut. "Now, stop screaming into my ears."

Levy heard him, but she wasn't sure she was able to respond, instead watching him lean away to plant himself on her futon and raise an expecting eyebrow at her. There was a thought at the back of her mind, nagging her to cover herself with something more than her hands, but she pushed it aside, completely and utterly captivated. The first thing she noted was obviously that he was naked, but then all the glaringly obvious differences from a common mortal urged her not to avert her eyes. Because even if he looked like a man, he was definitely not _human_.

He had fox ears on top of his head. And all those tails emerging from his tailbone, coiling obediently on the space around him. Not to mention the gleaming studs on his face, forearms and calves or the large broad leaf attached to his head. She winced briefly when she saw the former - her foot must've caught on them when she kicked him.

But the most distinctive feature, if it was possible, were his eyes. Just as crimson as she knew them, with slit pupils, feeling like they were boring right through your head when they gazed back at you... They fit his pierced and angular face very well, and she felt a strange sensation of contentment from being able to stare at him like that. He had a straight nose and thin lips and a sharp jaw line. Truly, the metal did not seem to hurt his visage at all. It only served to make him more captivating.

"Totally a prude."

"Huh?" Levy snapped out of her daze, confused. Gajeel, who was motionless for a whole minute straight so she could get an eyeful of his face, rolled his eyes. "I'm buck fucking naked. I'm not even trying to cover up. And all you do is get caught on the fox-face. Are you serious?"

"What is a fox-face?" Levy asked, feeling like she'd been tricked as her face reddened. The Kitsune just released a drawn out sigh that worked well to irk her, before pointing a finger in his face.

"The kind of face that makes people go weak in the knees," he responded cheekily, "like you."

Levy bristled, before her eyes became falsely disinterested. "You don't have a face like that," the bluenette stated in a deadpan voice, feeling her heartbeat accelerate as she averted her eyes from the scrutiny of his gaze. "I was only staring at your face because it's _weird_."

There was a moment of silence when she waited for his reaction to the statement, but there came none. There was only silence. Although she could see his silhouette from the corner of her eye, the bluenette couldn't capture his face, so feeling slightly unsure of herself, she turned back to get a good look at him. Was he angry? Because of this new form, it seemed that she was forgetting how dangerous he truly-

Her eyes widened.

Gajeel sat rigid before her, tails caught mid-swish, ears up and turned in her direction. His eyes were wide. Frankly, she hadn't thought what she had said was anything worth such over-the-top incredulity - maybe he was caught off-guard by the unusual innocence of the comeback, or the fact it was a blatant lie, or maybe he was just surprised. Either way, before she knew it, a small giggle escaped from her mouth.

That seemed to snap him back into action.

"_Weird?!_ Watch your mouth - it's not weird! It's pierced! I won a huge bet with the Oni by getting those!" Gajeel shouted, abruptly raising onto his hunches and quickly reaching out for her. Levy squeaked, trying to get up as well, but her reflexes were _much_ too slow in comparison. She felt his big hands clamp down on her shoulders (again) and the entire world spun as he pulled her with him on top of the futon, growling the entire time as he wound his hands around her slim waist and pulled up on top of his toned abdomen. "You making fun of me? I'm going to show you! You know what I took back with me after that bet? Their enchanted bottle of…"

He was ridiculously muscular, even more so than the laboring group in the village. Compared to her running townsfolk, he felt somewhat of a god of war, layers upon layers of hard flesh, trained to bring forth destruction. It was so amazing it seemed a bit unfair.

She got absolutely plastered to him. Her legs were stubbornly clamped together as her hip molded against the muscles of his lower stomach, palm-clad breasts flattened on his chest. It was so hard her fingers started to hurt as her weight went down on them - if she could free them, she'd damn well make sure to whack him on the head… or at least prop her face up from the crook of his neck, but she couldn't. He smelled like a forest and smoke and musk. For some reason, he also smelled of peaches.

The hands on her waist gave off a numbing warmth as they tickled the skin alarmingly close to her backside, and she briefly thought that if she'd ended up any lower, she would brush against… Against _him_.

"L-Let me go."

"Not until you'll say It's not weird!" Came an agitated voice from above her.

"_Please_." She begged, feeling her face heat up to ridiculous levels, heat steaming down quickly onto her neck and shoulders. This was beyond embarrassing! "Let me _go_!"

"I said no!" Gajeel countered, and Levy cried out as he dug his fingers into her bottom and geared up for a stand. Both the way his muscles cramped on his side as well as his hiss of pain escaped her as she screamed, kicking her legs and trying to wiggle away from his grasp as he hefted her. Gajeel skillfully rearranged his grip to fit one hand underneath her bottom and quickly dig the other into her tangle of blue hair, preventing the small girl from falling backwards on her head, and then glared her straight in her eyes, a barely restrained growl of frustration bubbling up at the back of his throat.

"Quit your whining and say it!" He ordered gruffly, trying to restrain himself from screaming at her. There she was again with all the insufferable howling. If she kept this up, he might've as well took some more time to rest and healed further instead of arguing with her right now. She even seemed to forget he was hurt, flailing her limbs all around and almost kicking him in the side.

His idea of embarrassing her backfired on him, alright. Serves him right for thinking that surprising her would end up in anything else than a freak out. Damn that Lily for being right again.

"I-I…"

She was being stubborn and she knew it. It's not like she thought his face was weird in the first place, but for some reason she was afraid to admit it. His hand was tangled in her hair, crushing against his body and making her look at his disapproving expression, holding her up with the other like she weighted about as much as a feather. Oddly enough, that thought made her shiver. Just how strong _was_ he?

Something cold licked at her insides, gradually warming up as she stared back at him, biting her lip as nervousness came at her in increasing waves. The look in his eye became serious now, and although it still wasn't outright angry, she suspected his patience with her could be wearing rather thin. However, just as she was about to give in and admit she was sorry, he unceremoniously dropped her, watching silently as she crashed against her futon with a yelp.

"Never mind." Was all the fox said before sitting beside where she curled up, face ashen as her heart hammered audibly in her ribcage. "I don't have much time. I'm getting exhausted."

Levy hadn't answered, and he took it as his cue to continue and salvage the awkward situation while he still could. His cheeks reddened as he muttered, "Crafting a fitting attire would make the matters even worse, so I just decided to drop this part out." Before giving a pointed cough, wanting just to explain and forget that this exchange even took place at all.

"I'd have to properly introduce you to my human form, won't I?"

"That would be nice." Levy breathed out, searching for her mattress to finally cover herself up. She wrapped it tightly around her midsection and tucked her legs in, before turning away from him. She felt she couldn't quite look him in the eye anymore.

"Very well, then." Gajeel agreed, and proceeded to do just that.

"Every fox is capable of taking it on after they pass a hundred and you probably know that. But it's a bit more complicated. We don't just go from fox to human without any preparation - instead we find specifically a broad leaf, reeds, or a skull, and place it on top of our heads, before we are able to transform into a human variation of ourselves. We have only one look when we do. It's our true look and often it's as beautiful as it's not perfect." Gajeel paused to take a breath, but when he was about to continue, the bluenette interrupted him.

"What do you mean it's not perfect? Foxes like pretty and beautiful things. It's only natural they'd want to be perfect." She murmured, before trailing off awkwardly and deciding to keep quiet.

"I mean tails and paws and whatever is left behind," the Kitsune huffed, irrated by the interruption. "They require tricks to cover up. And then there are reflections, shadows and dogs who show who we really are without many problems. And If you are very unlucky, you can also bump into powerful monks or supernaturally gifted people on your way. They usually see though the masquerade."

"Oh."

"If a fox is skilled enough, it can alter the age or particular marks on the body, like scars. But if we want to pose as someone else, we have to use a lot of… _gimmicks_. It's a bit of a hassle," Gajeel continued. "And if we're defeated, we might lose the disguise. But I hadn't ever been beaten in my life, so I never had to do it. I sometimes turn back to save myself the trouble of keeping up the masquerade."

"_Gimmicks?_" Levy asked suddenly.

"What?"

"How do you become someone else? Is it all illusions? Could you become _me_?" She mumbled, and although he still couldn't see her face, Gajeel heard the curiosity in her voice. His brows furrowed as he thought about it.

"Not really. At least, not now."

"Why?"

"Because that'll require killing you." Gajeel deadpanned, ignoring how that made her startle. "…Of course there _are_ different techniques. Making an illusion is the first and most basic method - you make the whole world think you're someone else and that's that. However, if you'd ever want to stay where it requires to pose as a human for a much longer period of time, it would be both power consuming and have a large chance of being seen through. And since you are asking me, as of now, I don't do illusions that'd last longer than a day. And this is the moment where we use your little, white skull."

"It's much less power consuming and a much stronger disguise. Instead of creating an artificial person, we put the skull of a dead individual on our head and transform into said individual. We can change the details if we're powerful enough much like we do it with ourselves. The biggest drawback is the soul of the person still lingering with the stolen skull. It needs tending and entertainment. Sometimes, It's also pissed that someone disturbed it. That's all, I guess."

"Have you ever had to use skulls?"

She was definitely asking too many questions for someone who was still sitting with their back to him. It was annoying at best and he wanted to point out that even by human standards, interrupting a willing teacher was something of a grave indignity or at least an insult to the good will. However, he also noticed how she stiffened as she said it, and almost instantly it dawned on him that she actually asked about something else. Like if he murdered and desecrated tombs as an easy way out of trouble. Or if he would kill her if he needed to. Probably both.

"Nah." The fox replied easily, deciding that they went a bit too far out of the comfort zone and the conversation was getting a little tense. He quickly backpedaled to where she distracted him and figured, much to his relief, that he'd covered most of what he wanted to say about transforming. It's not like he was going to press at the subject of Kitsunetsuki at all.

"I think I said everything regarding the matter. Now, I'd say is the time for you to ask me questions, but I think you've got everything covered just fine." He murmured cheekily. "Now go get some clothes on and we'll discuss what you call the _more_ important matters than being well informed about the creatures you're supposed to be tending to."

With the excuse pushing all the blame of the ruined morning onto the girl, he let the matter of his body twist and expand, taking up half of the cottage within the span of three seconds. The golden leaf on his head stayed firmly attached to his forehead, and he swatted it away, watching with interest as it fluttered down to the ground between Levy's feet. Then he became serious.

"_What do you plan to do today?"_

The girl mulled over the question for a few seconds, biting her lip. "I need to visit the village. I go there every few days to check up on some things, work a little, talk with people. I also do it to show them I'm okay."

"_And what do you want me to do?"_

Levy replied right away, "First of all, I need information on the chimera that attacked us, what exactly has it done to us, and how can we kill it - or if you'd like that better, how you can kill it."

"_Well then,"_ he replied, watching her from above, _"first I'll notify you that it's no chimera. It's a Nue, its goal is solely based on eating humans and until I get back into top shape, we're going to play a dangerous game of survival with it."_

* * *

**I CAN'T WRITE ANYMORE OH MY GOD**

**I'M SO, SO SORRY**

**I HONESTLY JUST SPENT TWO MONTHS WRITING THIS AND IT'S SO FAT YET SO TINY IT'S TECHNICALLY NOT EVEN OVER TOO**

**HOW CAN I EVEN LOOK YOU IN THE FACE**

**OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD**

* * *

**D: **

**;A;**

**8^8**

* * *

**I… I think I calmed down. I'm so sorry for being a bad HG12. Don't hurt me, please? I kind of found Kamisama Hajimemashita and yes, this story is soooo like it but at the same time it's different. And yes, Nue is in Japanese folklore and it exists! You can look it up but that spoils some fun and suspense. It's like a monkey crossed over with a raccoon dog and a tiger. Pretty neat, huh? Also, I spend a lot of time looking up info about foxes and the entire changing part. I wanted you to realize foxes just don't go poof and are automatically little cute girls. They actually never ever have the fox ears! But they can be covered in thin cream fur instead of skin, or have fox paws and tail. Being called fox faced in Japan is an extremely desirable compliment. It basically says you are as desirable as a fox! It's not a compliment for men, but every male fox I saw in manga have very handsome faces too, sharp jaw lines, and those eyes asdfg. So I decided to make it into a thing, a face that is a little bit enchanted it's so handsome. Gajeel is very handsome. Also, Gajeel's closed wound is not yet wrapped back in bandages but it will. I didn't forget!**

_~HG12_


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